The One
by burkygirl
Summary: Peeta is Katniss's best friend and almost everything in her life revolves around him. When thoughts of Peeta start invading her dreams, Katniss must decide whether just being friends is enough. Written for Prompt 50 of the Everlark Fic Exchange, Springtime Edition
1. The Husband You Cheat on Your BFs With

A/N As always, I owe a big thank you to peetabreadgirl, the best cheerleader a fanfic writer could ask for. The song Peeta covers in this chapter is "Soul Sister" by Train. Big thanks to notanislander for the suggestion and to all the fic authors and readers who answered Peeta's call for a song.

* * *

The minute Katniss stepped out of her car and into the driveway of the little house she shared with Peeta, she frowned. The tantalizingly tangy scent of Peeta's homemade marinara sauce was drifting through the kitchen window to her nose. As a teacher at a nearby school, Peeta usually arrived home before she did and started dinner. He made everything from scratch with fresh ingredients and it was always incredibly delicious. But if he was cooking comfort food, something was bothering him. As she got closer to the door, she caught the yeasty and unmistakable odour of her favourite treat- cheese buns. When she heard him switch on his Kitchen Aid mixer, Katniss realized he was making the pasta by hand and a cloud passed over her heart. Peeta, it seemed, was having a very bad day. However, her stomach, the miserable traitor, was tap dancing.

"Peeta, I'm home!" she called out as she came through the door, but got no reply. He probably couldn't hear her over the roar of the mixer. Knowing that Peeta – the neat freak – was pre-occupied, Katniss kicked her boots into the closet. They hit the back wall with a satisfying clunk. She tossed her keys into in glass candy dish on the table near the door and wandered into the kitchen on silent feet. There was Peeta, wearing the "I've Got Hot Buns" apron she bought him for Christmas. The sleeves of his red henley were rolled up and his blonde hair was falling into his eyes while he focused on running the pasta through the roller again and again. Katniss slipped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his back, startling Peeta out of his reverie.

"Whoa!" Her boy clutched at the counter, trying to catch his breath. He turned off the mixer. "I've got to put a bell on you, Everdeen, you scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry," she whispered. Katniss squeezed him tightly and breathed him in. She loved his powerful back and the spice of his cologne did things to her lady parts that Peeta didn't need to know about. She laid her cheek against his shoulder blade. "What's wrong?"

Peeta shook his head and covered her hands with his own flour-caked one. "I'm fine," he replied.

"Peeta." She grasped him by the shoulders and urged him to turn around. When he faced her, his lips were pinched in a tight line and his eyes were shuttered. He crossed his arms and said nothing."

Don't lie to me," she insisted. "I know you better than that." She gestured around her incredulously. "Look at this kitchen."

Peeta surveyed the layers of flour coating the countertops, the cutting board still sticky from slicing Roma tomatoes into small chunks for crushing. He grabbed a nearby tea towel, wiped his hands and then pushed his hair out of his face. "Katniss," he sighed. "I'm just making dinner."

Her right eyebrow gave a skeptical quirk. "Peeta, you're going completely overboard for a weeknight dinner and you know it. You only do this when something is really bothering you."

Peeta's picked up the strip of pasta and turned back to his mixer. "Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes," he said. "Could you take care of the salad?" Katniss huffed and stomped upstairs to her room.

Fifteen minutes later, she returned to the kitchen in yoga pants and Peeta's old wrestling t-shirt, her hair in a braid. Katniss was hunting through the refrigerator when she spotted the homemade salad dressing. She held up the bottle and shook it at Peeta.

"Really?" she asked sarcastically. "Nothing's bothering you?"

Peeta looked over from where he was plating the linguini. "There's absolutely nothing you can do about it, Katniss. And I can't either. So, don't worry about it."

She took the plate from his hands and plunked it decisively onto the counter. "Spill it."

"It's nothing really. I've just had a bad few weeks. First there was the break up with Glimmer." Glimmer, Peeta's latest girlfriend, had given him the heave-ho three weeks ago when he'd refused to give her a long-term commitment. Katniss was not sorry to have her out of their lives and Peeta hadn't seemed upset by it. She wondered if she'd misread the situation. She cocked her head to the side. "Do you miss her?" she asked in a tight voice. She quickly grabbed the plate off the counter and covered the linguini in marinara.

Peeta watched her out of the corner of his eye as he reached for his plate. "Parts of her," he said slyly, curling his portion of the linguini into an artful pile.

Katniss wrinkled her nose. "Gross," she snorted and snagged a cheese bun from the basket. "That's what's bothering you?"

"Kind of," he replied as they headed into the living room. "Then today at work, we heard that there are going to be budget cuts at the school and I'm one of the newest teachers on staff and you know what they've been doing to the fine arts programs." He sighed and sat down. "It just feels like, with my luck, I'll be back at the bakery in no time, listening to my mother say 'I told you so' until I finally lose it."

Katniss deposited her plate on the coffee table and dropped down beside him on the couch. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her lips to his cheek. "No matter what happens in this life, you will never be stuck under that woman's thumb again." Peeta's mother was a Grade A, certified witch. She'd make him crawl on his belly before letting him in the kitchen and paying him considerably less than he's worth. "I won't allow it, Peeta, so put it out of your mind."

He laid his temple against the side of her head. "I need to work, Katniss."

"You are the best teacher at that school and you know it. If they let you go, the kids would riot and their parents would beat down the doors of the school board's offices. They all adore you, Peeta. And I adore you. You're my very best friend in the whole world. If the school board makes that incredibly short-sighted decision, you'll stay right here with me where you belong and I'll look after things until you find something else."

"Katniss, I can't let you do that," he said, shaking his head.

"You can and you will," she said firmly. "I won't lose you. I can cover the expenses. It wouldn't be for long. You'd be snapped up by another school in a second. And anyway," she said, picking up her plate, "you'd do the same for me." Peeta opened his mouth. She held up her hand. "Don't even think about arguing with me."

Some light returned to Peeta's blue eyes and relief washed over her. "I wouldn't dare," he replied with a smile and reached for his plate and the remote before settling in beside her.

"Smart boys are hard to find," she mused.

He laughed and nudged her with his elbow. "I love you, you bossy, sexist thing."

She laid her head against his shoulder. "I know."

* * *

"These are for you, Brainless."

Katniss's business partner, Johanna, dropped a fragrant batch of tulips on her desk in her office at Stiletto Consulting the next day. The bright spring bouquet was a mix of cheerful purple and yellow blooms, combined with a handful of white ones with tips that were frosted a delicate pink. Katniss snatched the card from the blossoms. She smiled when she opened it. It bore two simple words, _thank you._

"Thank you?" Jo tapped her manicured fingernails on Katniss's desk and narrowed her eyes. "Did you pick up a man last night?"

A curly blonde head popped in the door. Delly, Peeta's cousin, was the office manager in the all-female PR firm Johanna and Katniss started five years before when, sick of the office politics and game playing that went on where they worked at Crane & Heavensbee, they left the firm, taking most of their female clients with them. It was as though they'd shot an arrow into the smug and incestuous communications business in their city. Their departure had been the talk of the town, where men still dominated in the corporate elite. Using Johanna's sharp wit and Katniss's strategic thinking skills, they'd managed to keep their clients and lure several new lucrative contracts. These days, Stiletto was the PR firm of choice for someone looking for smart social media strategy, edgy collateral and solid media relations. Meanwhile, Delly kept the books balanced, the associates in line, and the bills paid.

"There's a new man?" Delly asked. "Why am I always the last to hear about these things?"

"Delly, no one ever needs to tell you the news," Katniss said firmly. "You hear all the news before it even happens."

"Well if I didn't keep my ears peeled, you two would never tell me anything."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I don't have a new guy. These are from Peeta."

"Oh right," Johanna said, crossing disinterestedly to the couch under the window. "The husband you cheat on all your boyfriends with." She tossed her long straight ponytail over her shoulder before sitting down. One Jimmy Choo, which Katniss was certain cost more than her entire outfit that day, was balanced precariously on Johanna's toe as her leg bobbed up and down.

"Peeta is my best friend, not my husband," Katniss corrected hotly.

"He kind of is, Katniss," argued Delly, leaning against the door frame. "You two share everything except a bed."

Katniss blushed hotly. Sometimes she did share Peeta's bed after a long night of watching movies in his room. She never slept better than when she was curled up beside him.

Jo gave Katniss a wolfish smile. "He's delicious, Katniss. Those broad shoulders and that tight ass. If you don't climb that tree soon, I'm going to have to do it for you." Katniss scowled. No way was she letting Johanna near Peeta. "Come on, Brainless. You haven't had a boyfriend in months. Not since Darius gave up trying to be the third wheel in your weird little triangle. And Marvel before him. And who was that guy you were with when we met? He had a girl's name, but holy hell he was beautiful…."

"Gale," said Katniss flatly, not wanting to recall the accusations Gale had levelled at her when he dropped her off for the last time. She told the girls the same thing she said to him that night. "Peeta and I are just friends. Best friends." Then she added a little more since these were her girls and not a soon-to-be-ex. "I would never risk our friendship by trying to turn it into something else that I would inevitably screw up."

"Well, I don't know how you stand it," said Johanna, brushing off her skirt as she stood up. "Going without for months and living with a guy who's as hot as fuck. You could cut the sexual tension between you two with a knife sometimes."

Katniss turned her back on Johanna and started to click through her emails. Her co-worker made a "tsk-ing" noise and left the room. Katniss blew out a slow breath. She knew that Peeta was gorgeous. But she wasn't going to entertain this idea.

"Katniss." She looked up to see Delly biting her lip beside the desk and looking down at Katniss uncertainly. "I know you're my boss, but I've known you for years and Peeta my entire life, so I'm hoping you don't feel like I'm overstepping here." Katniss gave her a nod to go ahead. "Well, the two of you… the way he looks at you, the way he's always looked at you… It's like the sun rises and sets on you. And sometimes, when he doesn't think you're looking, it's … Well, I'd die happy if I had a man in my life who looked at me like that."

Katniss's heart fluttered at the idea that Peeta could want more from her from friendship, but she immediately repressed the sentiment. "He doesn't feel that way about me, Delly."

"Katniss, there's a reason why neither of you have ever had a relationship that's lasted, other than the one you've had together," insisted Delly. When Katniss looked away, she sighed and laid her hand over Katniss's. "Think about it, okay? You guys could be amazing together, if you'd just let it happen."

Once Delly went back to the front desk, Katniss could think of nothing else.

* * *

When Katniss got home from work, Peeta was sitting in a lounge chair on their back deck, shirtless, apparently soaking up the last of the warmth of the day. His bare feet poked out of the bottom of a pair of well-worn jeans and he was strumming his guitar. His hair was damp and tousled. Katniss supposed he'd had a shower when he got home from work. She forced the image of him naked in the shower from out of her mind. Damn Delly and Johanna for putting these ideas in her head.

Rather than going straight out to the deck to say hello, Katniss padded upstairs to her bedroom and pulled out a pair of cut-offs and grabbed Peeta's wrestling shirt off the foot of her bed. She happily shed her green silk blouse and pencil skirt for more the comfortable attire and went back downstairs. When she opened the patio door, Peeta was strumming away, working through a chord progression.

"I ordered pizza when I heard you pulling up," he informed her without looking up. "G, D, E minor, C." He named the chords as he strummed them and then he looked up at her and grinned. His blue eyes shone under the curls. "It's been awhile."

"I was going to say that." She dropped into the chair beside him. The one she'd designated as hers when they picked the set out last summer. "I can't remember the last time you had your guitar out."

Peeta shrugged, his wide shoulders golden in the last hours of the early summer day. "I play at night sometimes when I can't sleep. It's something to do with my hands; keep my mind busy, when it's too late to be banging around in the kitchen."

"What were you playing?"

He gave her a half smile. "The weather was reminding me of that summer when I bought this guitar. We did so much camping. Do you remember?" He sang softly:

 _Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains_  
 _I knew I wouldn't forget you and so I went and let you blow my mind_  
 _Your sweet moonbeam, the smell of you in every single dream I dream_  
 _I knew when we collided, you're the one, I have decided, who's one of my kind_

The sound of Peeta's voice took her back in time to glowing campfires and s'mores; the comfort of his bulk in his sleeping bag beside hers. And this song, the one he was trying to learn all that summer. They'd sung it over and over. Before she knew it, her lips were forming the words of the chorus and her voice was wrapped around his, smoky and sweet.

 _Hey soul sister, ain't that Mister Mister on the radio, stereo_  
 _The way you move ain't fair you know_  
 _Hey soul sister, I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight_

It felt so unbelievably good to do this with Peeta again. Once she'd started dating Gale, an awkwardness had grown between them for a while and she and Peeta had stopped camping without ever really discussing why. Suddenly, she realized her mind was wandering and she looked up to see Peeta still strumming away. His eyes were serious when they locked on hers.

 _Just in time, I'm so glad you have a one-track mind like me_  
 _You gave my life direction, a game show love connection we can't deny_  
 _I'm so obsessed, my heart is bound to beat right out of my untrimmed chest_  
 _I believe in you, like a virgin, you're Madonna_  
 _And I'm always gonna want to blow your mind_

Peeta's fingers stilled on the strings and Katniss froze in her chair. He was staring at her intently, like he was living in a desert and she was the last drop of water in his canteen. Everything in her that was female came to attention. Her throat went dry. Is this the look Delly was talking about? Was this real or were Delly and Jo just putting ideas in her head? She looked away quickly and spying Peeta's beer on the table, seized it and took a long gulp.

When she opened her eyes, Peeta was laying down his guitar. "Katniss," he said tensely, "I think we need to have a talk." She held tightly to the can so her hand wouldn't shake. "You and I have been friends for a long time, right?" She nodded. "And you know I love you." The girls were right, she thought. That look did mean something and once Peeta laid it all on the line, it would all be out there with no going back. "We share just about everything. I let you sleep in my bed. Hell, my clothes make up half your wardrobe." It was true. Their lives were completely intertwined. This next step just made sense, she reasoned. He was probably going to kiss her. And she was going to let him. He was Peeta. Her best friend, the best man she knew, and as gorgeous as a fallen angel.

"But just what makes you think you can steal my beer?"

Katniss stammered. "Wha-?"

"Seriously, Katniss. Some things have got to be sacred, and a man's beer is one of them. So hand that back."

Katniss's emotions were reeling. Her mind scrambled for something smart to say and she landed on the best line she could find in the circumstances. "Make me."

"Katniss, I want my beer. Hand it over nicely and no one gets hurt."

She jumped up and took another big gulp. "You'll have to catch me first, Mellark." She'd always been faster than Peeta and Katniss was out of her chair in a flash, throwing open the patio door and darting into the kitchen. She could hear his heavy footfalls in pursuit and darted toward the stairs, taking another drink when she knew he was watching. She snickered at his roar of mock outrage. Her feet practically flew over the landing at the top of the stairs and she arrowed toward her bedroom door. Peeta must have taken the stairs two at a time, because just as she reached the safety of her bedroom door, he was behind her, whipping her around and pulling her tight against his bare skin. She had nowhere to put her hands but his sculpted upper arms. Their chests heaved as they tried to catch their breaths. Katniss let out a nervous chuckle and smiled up at Peeta, who was gazing down at her lips with heavy lidded eyes. She watched his tongue dart out and sweep across his bottom lip. If she just raised herself up on her toes, she could put an end to this torment. And she'd know.

Her fingers flexed as she began to move toward him. Peeta's eyes widened. "Ka-", he began, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by the irritating buzz that passed for a doorbell in their house.

Peeta cleared his throat. "That's the pizza," he said, stepping back and heading downstairs to answer the door.

Katniss followed, stopping to bang her head on the door frame. What was she going to do?


	2. It's Only Hormones

_Two weeks later_

"Katniss, have you seen my good blue shirt?" Peeta called down from top of the stairs, his navy suit pants still undone.

Katniss peered up at him from the bottom of the stairs. Her insides quivered as she took in his well-sculpted chest and flat abdominal muscles, the smattering of golden hair across his pecs that turned into a thin line that tracked toward his boxers. He was almost bronze now after the end-of-school pool party his co-worker Finnick Odair hosted last weekend. Down, girl, she thought, and firmly steered her thoughts into a more appropriate direction before answering his question.

"I put it in your closet when I picked our stuff up from the cleaners. It's in a dry-cleaning bag."/p

Peeta nodded and disappeared from view, grumbling to himself about having already looked in the closet. Katniss rolled her eyes and willed herself to be patient. He was getting ready for one of the most important meetings of his life, after all.

Peeta's instincts about the future of his job were right on the money. Just a couple of days before school ended, Principal Coin told him the art program was eliminated in the latest round of budget cuts and offered him a position in the math department. Feeling he had no alternative Peeta had accepted the math job with a heavy heart. Until two days ago, he'd spent much of him time since school ended stuffing their kitchen with baked goods. A call from Kevin Boggs, the father of one his students, changed all that. Boggs' brother-in-law, Cinna Matthews was the director of a private fine-arts academy, not far from Katniss's office downtown. He was looking for a painting teacher and he wanted to meet Peeta.

Peeta flew back down the stairs, his jacket and a burnt orange tie in hand. "Katniss, will you help me with this tie please? I can never get it right."

She gave him a half smile and crooked her finger. "C'mere." Peeta hung the jacket on the post of the staircase and approached with a sheepish grin. She flipped up the collar of his sky blue shirt. It matched his eyes perfectly and the orange tie set it all off nicely. "You always make me do this," she chided gently as she positioned the ends and then began to make the loops. Peeta watched her hands from under his impossibly long eyelashes. Some women would give up their first born to have lashes like his. "When are you going learn to do this yourself?" she asked as she tugged gently on the skinny end of the tie and slid the knot into place. "There are about a million tutorials on Youtube."

Peeta's hand flexed gently over her fingers where they rested on the knot. "Maybe I like having you fuss over me." His voice was lightly teasing, but Katniss continued to stare at their clasped hands. She couldn't stop thinking about his long, slender fingers capable of bringing so much beauty into the world. She'd watched them grip a pencil or a paintbrush to translate a feeling or bring an image to life on canvass. It was almost like magic.

Katniss cleared her throat. "We'll consider this my little contribution to your escape plan." She lifted the navy suit jacket off the post and held it up. He turned around and she admired the fit of his pants before slipping the jacket over his shoulders. He turned to face her, tugging on his sleeves and adjusting the collar. Katniss brushed some non-existent dust off his shoulders. She beamed up at him. "You've got this, Peeta. You're going to be fabulous. Mr. Matthews will be blown away by your talent."

"Cinna," Peeta corrected. "He said the staff is on a first name basis with the students." He blew out a long breath. "How long is the drive downtown in morning traffic?" Katniss told him 20 minutes and he nodded. "I should go then. Thanks for staying to help me this morning."

"Anything for you, you know that."

"Okay. Here goes nothing," he muttered, crossing the room to pick up his portfolio and his car keys. "I'll let you know how it turns out."

"Good luck," she called out. Katniss moved to the living room window and watched Peeta walk to his car. She sighed. She wasn't sure there was much in life more beautiful than a well-built man in a well-cut suit.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, Peeta burst through the door of Katniss's office at top speed. "Katniss!" he whooped. "I got it!" She couldn't tell if he ran or flew to her desk, but before she knew it, she was wrapped in his arms and he was swinging her around so hard that her shoes flew off her feet in his exuberance.

Katniss threw back her head and laughed as she spun in circles. She was still in his arms smiling down at him when the words began to bubble forth. "Cinna is fantastic. He loved my work. We had a long discussion about colour theory and he'd already heard about my teaching skills from some of the parents that Mr. Boggs connected him with. The school is just amazing. Oh Katniss, I'll have a studio for my drawing and painting classes and a classroom to teach art history."

"Peeta, I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it."

He set her on her feet and took her face into his hands, planting a firm kiss on her lips. "I love you. Thank you for believing in me."

Katniss's lips, still tingling from the kiss, were unable to form words. She simply nodded. Peeta didn't seem to notice. Rushing to the door, he told her be ready for an amazing dinner when she got home. He called out "Hi Cuz," to Delly as he passed her desk, and then he was gone.

Delly found Katniss standing in her bare feet in the middle of her office, dazedly touching her fingers to her lips.

The office manager's lips quirked. "Just friends, huh?"

* * *

Katniss lay on the sofa, replete from a delicious meal made by Peeta's hands. She was curled up in the crook of his arm while a movie played in the background, something they'd seen a million times, but Peeta never tired of.

Tonight, she couldn't focus on the movie. The scene in her office was on replay in her mind. Peeta had kissed her plenty of times, of course, it was just something that they did. Katniss had always believed it to be perfectly innocent, but now all she could think about was the time she'd spent in his arms, just like this; the way she knew the exact spot where her head fit on his chest. If she closed her eyes, she could perfectly describe the shape of his lips, the cut of his jaw, his toned abs, the way his butt looked in his jeans. Was there more to this, more to them than she'd allowed herself to believe? She needed to know.

"Peeta," she whispered.

"Hmm?" Peeta adjusted their position on the couch so that he could see her face and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"I- I think you should- we should... I mean, will you kiss me? For real?"

His eyebrows jumped another inch. "Kat-"

"I want you to. Just once."

Peeta turned over so that they were facing each other, their legs tangled intimately. His gaze serious, his hands found her hair, combing through the dark locks she'd left down when she came home from work. His thumbs brushed her cheekbones gently before he slowly, tentatively brushed his lips against hers. The whisper of his breath when he pulled away was sweet from the wine he'd served. They both smiled shyly and then Peeta brought his lips to hers again, more boldly this time, nipping her bottom lip slightly and then soothing it with his tongue.

He lingered over their third kiss, savouring her slowly, like a fine meal. Katniss sighed, opening her mouth to slide his tongue along hers, bringing her arms around his neck in an effort to get closer. The urge to wrap herself around him was overwhelming. She slowly slid her leg up his. Peeta, still caressing her lips with his own, caught it just under her knee and tugged it over his hip so they were pressed tightly together. His hand traced a path up her leg until it rested just below her rear and his fingers were curved around her inner thigh. He squeezed gently before repeating the journey, this time stopping to stroke the rounded curve of her bottom.

Their kissing took on a more frantic pace. Katniss pulled away from his lips to place a line of kisses along his jaw and down his throat to the soft neckline of his t-shirt. Peeta's breathing got shorter and he rucked up the hem of her shirt to slip his hands inside. His hand on her bare skin set her afire and Katniss held her breath as his fingers roamed her body, finally covering her aching breasts. Katniss gasped, her lips seeking out the pulsepoint near his clavicle and sucking gently while his thumbs brushed over her nipple where they poked through the soft fabric of her bra. His touch sent sharp signals between her legs. Katniss squeezed her thighs together, seeking relief, and found only more heat.

Her hands fell from his neck to fist in his shirt. "Off," she ordered.

Peeta's eyes glittered. "Are you sure?" She nodded and pulled herself into a sitting position so she could remove her own shirt. Peeta's landed on the floor beside it. He lay down on his back, drawing her with him so that she straddled his hips and found him to be hard beneath her. Katniss rocked against him slightly and they both groaned.

Katniss lowered her lips to Peeta's and he opened his mouth to accept her kiss. Their tongues tangled, mimicking the joining their bodies craved. Peeta's hips rose off the sofa while his hands pressed her against him again. Her throbbing core was slick and wet. Each movement sent small fireworks to her brain and a familiar pull began to build within her. Was going to be able to get her off with only this? She smoothed his hair from his face, pressing kisses along his jaw once again, feeling it flex with each gyration of her hips and finding a certain satisfaction in knowing that she was getting to him too.

She was fuel and he was flame; his touch, a match. She burned for him, needed him in a way she'd never felt for another man. It made her bold, as though she'd grown wings and was stretching them for the first time. Sitting up, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. The straps fell off her shoulders while she held it to her breasts. She felt a smug satisfaction at the way his gaze was fixed on her chest. His face was flushed; his lips slightly swollen. His chest heaved slightly. She let go of the bra, finally tossing it to the floor with their shirts. Peeta's eyes grew dark as he stared at her reverently.

"Fuck, Katniss. What's come over you?"

"You. I need you." She took his hand in hers and laid it over her bare breast, closing her eyes in pleasure at the heat of his palm. Peeta raised himself from the couch, drawing the other mound into his mouth and repositioning them so that he hovered above her. His hand moved from her breast to the top of her cut-offs. It slid down over the zipper to where she ached between her legs. He began to rub her in slow circles and she moaned his name in frustrated helplessness.

He gave her a sly grin and flicked open the fly of her shorts. His hand slipped into her underwear, down through the soft curls to the damp slit below. He let out a moan of his own to find her so ready.

"Please, Peeta. Touch me." Her legs parted for him and his fingers began to rub the hard little bud he found between them. The explosive heat from his touch caused her to sit straight up on the sofa, straining for release.

She found herself all alone, staring into the darkened room, her clit still throbbing.

Katniss laid her hand over her chest and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding in time with the pulsing between her legs. Her brain felt like it had short-circuited. She closed her eyes briefly and snippets of her dream replayed behind the lids. Peeta's lips. Peeta's hands. Peeta's hard shaft… Her eyes flashed open again and she fell back against the couch cushions, clutching a blanket to her chin. She's just had a sex dream about her best friend. An especially vivid, very specific sex dream. Her hand wandered between her legs and she cupped herself, seeking some relief from the tension she was feeling. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her breath shallowed at the brief contact. She listened carefully in the darkness. Peeta seemed to be asleep. It would only take a second, she was sure. Then, maybe, she could think clearly.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Katniss slipped her hand into her shorts and then below her panties, swirling her fingers over her dripping slit. She slipped her finger in and hissed at the gentle pressure. Not quite as good as Peeta's fingers had felt, but it would have to do. She unbuttoned the cut-offs and slid one leg out, rubbing herself frantically, remembering the warmth of his skin, the spicy goodness of his cologne. The raw desire in his eyes.

She spiralled up, up, up, oblivious now to her surroundings. She needed this, she thought as she strained toward release. Needed it like air. Her back arched and she plunged two fingers from her other hand inside as she continued to play with herself, imagining it was Peeta's fingers seeking out the sweet spot that would take her over the edge; Peeta's tongue sliding through her folds, his blue eyes full of icy fire when he raised his head to look at her. "Come for me," he instructed.

Katniss gasped as her hips raised off the couch. She bit down on her lip to prevent herself from calling out. The orgasm flowed over her in waves of euphoric release and her heart, at long last, began to slow down.

Her mind now blissfully empty, she jammed her leg back into her shorts and went to the kitchen. She washed her hands under the tap and turned to grab the pitcher of water they kept in the fridge. The leftover lamb stew was still in there, next to the pitcher. Peeta had made the stew for dinner and served it with a nice Merlot.

Katniss got down a glass and returned to the refrigerator, this time returning the pitcher and reaching for the ice cube tray. There was the Ben and Jerry's and she recalled their discussion about her eating it in his bed while they watched the Princess Bride. He had gasped and told her that her plan was inconceivable. When she pouted, he laughed, and she insisted that he mocked her pain. In the end, they had foregone the ice cream and settled in to watch the movie on the couch, with her curled up in the crook of his arm, the way she liked best. She had, apparently, fallen asleep and had a dream of him unlike any she'd ever had before.

Katniss put the ice cube tray back in the freezer and took a long, cool drink of water. What was she going to do? She couldn't stop thinking about him. Jo and Delly's words had flicked a switch inside her and she couldn't figure out how to turn it back off, but she needed to find a way.

Peeta was her best friend and almost everything in her life revolved around him. She couldn't afford to risk what they had so that they could take their relationship in a new direction, even if her subconscious was telling her it would be the best sex of her life. She was terrible at the boyfriend/girlfriend thing. It would end badly and she would lose him. This was just hormones. It would pass if she just gave it time.

She padded past the couch to head up the stairs to her room, and thought it odd that Peeta had decided to tuck her in on the couch rather than wake her up. She was still wondering about it when a soft moan floated through the half open door to Peeta's room. Katniss peeked in from the hallway in case she needed to wake him from a nightmare. Peeta's abusive mother lost her ability to terrorize him once he grew bigger than her, but the nightmares still crowded in from time to time.

Peeta was not having a nightmare. He was stretched out on his bed, his eyes squeezed shut, with one hand wrapped around his rigid cock while he stroked it rhythmically. Katniss watched silently as his hand moved up and down his shaft, and she wondered what it would be like to touch him. How would he react if she slipped in beside him? Her feet had already begun to move toward his room before she was able to tear herself back to reality, horrified by her invasion of Peeta's privacy. Had she not done enough damage to their friendship for one night? It was going to be tough enough to look him in the eye in the morning after the dream she'd had without watching him jerk off.

She turned on her heel and took a deep breath before beelining across the hall to her room. It had been months since she admitted to herself that the relationship with Darius wasn't working out and broke it off. This was just hormones. It would pass if she gave it some time. Katniss focused on turning the doorknob as quietly as possible so as not to be heard by Peeta. A sharp inhale echoed across the hall and she froze. Had he heard her? The groan that followed told her he had not.

 _Oh Katniss._ The endearment chased her into her room. She shut the door behind her silently and leaned against it, her hand still on the knob. Her heart was pounding. Peeta was fantasizing about her now? The idea was a little bit unsettling, but mostly it just turned her on all over again.

Hormones, she reminded herself. That's all this was. She and Peeta just needed to get laid and this would all pass.

* * *

Peeta took a long sip from his beer and looked around the Hob, the watering hole he and Finnick had discovered their first year teaching at the school. The party was finally starting to wind down and his co-workers were slowly trickling out the door. By the number of slaps on the back, hugs and handshakes he'd received in the last hour, he figured Finnick had managed to get the entire staff together less than two weeks after the school year ended for his good-bye party. Even Principal Coin showed up, although she'd left over an hour ago. Haymitch Abernathy, the history and political science teacher and a raging alcoholic, had stumbled out not long after her.

Finnick's wife, Annie, waddled up and wrapped him in a hug. Peeta reciprocated the best he could around her baby belly. He swore she was bigger every time he laid eyes on her. Her hair fell about her shoulders in glossy auburn waves and she wore that rosy glow that seemed to perpetually surround pregnant women. "Congratulations, Peeta," she said warmly. "I'm so happy for you, though I have to tell you that Finnick will really miss you at the school."

"Finn is a fantastic tech teacher, Annie, and I loved collaborating with him. I'm going to miss him too. Anyway, we'll stay in touch, right?"

Annie stepped back and used her stomach as a shelf for her folded hands. "Of course we will," she assured him. "You're still painting a picture for the baby's room?"

"Your ocean scene is already on my sketch pad," he assured her, and was rewarded with a grateful smile and a twinkle in Annie's green eyes. With a pat on his shoulder, Annie told him she was going home to bed and asked him to send Finnick along eventually. Peeta laughed and said he would and then kept an eye on her as she made her way to the door. Annie Odair was one of his favourite people in the world. Her quiet nature was the perfect complement to Finnick's gregarious personality; her yin to Finnick's yang, a bit like him and Katniss.

Peeta's eyes flitted across the room to where his best friend sat in deep conversation with Delly and Johanna and wondered for the millionth time if she had any limits at all when it came to his things. She had thrown one of his flannels over a white fitted tank and paired them with a pair of tiny khaki shorts. Her bare feet were shoved into the pair of Converse All Stars that she'd donned for the short stroll over to the Hob from their house.

Katniss had been quiet the entire walk. She was clearly worried about something, but she wasn't sharing whatever it was with him. Peeta knew better than to push her to tell him what was going on, but his fingers were crossed that whatever had been on her mind today wasn't going to interfere with his plan to finally convince her to see how amazing they could be together.

It seemed serious, at least to Katniss, who was nervously wrapping the end of her braid around her finger. Delly kept patting her on the shoulder sympathetically, although he could tell by the way his cousin was pressing her lips together that she was making a valiant effort not to laugh. Johanna was waving her hands around, clearly trying to make Katniss see the sense of whatever point she was trying to make. Katniss blushed beet red and then tossed back her drink.

Peeta couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been head over heels for Katniss Everdeen. In high school, he'd admired her from afar. She was so beautiful and aloof that Peeta was too nervous to even speak to her. When they'd ended up as partners in the same freshman lit class in college, Peeta was granted an academically approved excuse to talk to her. He felt like he'd won the lottery. They'd quickly become friends, and he'd learned that her solitary nature was a defense mechanism to cover up a host of insecurities from her childhood. He figured out how to make her laugh, became the shoulder she could cry on, the one she turned to when she was in trouble. With each day that passed, Peeta fell even more deeply in love, while Katniss kept him firmly parked in the friend zone.

He quickly figured out that Katniss would run a mile if he confronted her directly with the depth of his feelings for her and so Peeta had spent most of their college years trying find other ways to tell her how he felt. The summer after college, the two of them had gone camping every weekend. Peeta had taught himself to play the guitar while they sat by the campfire with the crazy idea that maybe playing her a love song would do the trick. All of those plans had fallen by the wayside when she started dating Gale Hawthorne. Their camping trips ended and Peeta packed his romantic aspirations away with his camping gear and started to date other girls.

Katniss's relationship with Gale had lasted for a long, agonizing year. She never said, but Peeta suspected his friendship with Katniss had been the reason for their break-up.

At any rate, when it was over, she suggested they become roommates. Peeta, eager to get out of his parents' house and willing to be with Katniss through any means possible, had happily obliged.

Unfortunately, Peeta had started dating Madge not long before Katniss's break up with Gale. The thing with Madge was winding down when Katniss met Marvel. Depressed that he'd once again missed his chance, Peeta had probably been more open to Glimmer's overtures than normal. Everyone at the school knew Glimmer was more interested in catching a husband than teaching her students. He hadn't even bothered to mention her to Katniss until she broke up with Marvel. The distressed look on her face when he'd finally had to break the news had filled him with regret for days. She started dating Darius not long after, but that relationship had been short-lived.

For the first time in years, they were both free at the same time and Peeta had made up his mind that he would tell her how he felt. He couldn't go on this way, living under the same roof while he waited for her to figure out that they were meant for each other. Last night was the last straw. Just thinking about the way she'd clutched at him and moaned in her sleep on the couch was enough to make his cock twitch. And when he'd come downstairs to check on her-

"Peeta,"purred a sultry voice that he knew belonged to a set of fake boobs and a designer purse.

"Hi Glim," he replied turning his attention from Katniss to the bombshell in front of him. She was channelling Paris Hilton tonight in her pink silk top and white capris. She tossed her long, blonde hair over her shoulder and pouted slightly before reaching out to toy with the collar of his shirt.

"You don't have to leave the school just because we broke up, Peeta," she murmured, before feathering her fingers through his hair. Peeta jerked his head away. "I know it was awkward, but we could have made it work."

"Glimmer," he sighed. He should have realized she would decide this new job was about her. "This job happened very suddenly. We broke up weeks ago. We just want different things, yeah?"

Glimmer wrapped her arms around his waist. "But we were very, very good together, Peeta." Her voice dripped with innuendo. "We could be again."

Peeta was trying to extricate himself when he heard Katniss speak in a tone he knew was accompanied by her fiercest scowl. "He's already told you he doesn't want to play Ken to your Barbie, so back off."

Glimmer stepped back and glared at Katniss. "I think Peeta can speak for himself."

He turned to Glimmer and did just that. "Sorry, Glim. I'm not looking to get back together. I hope you have a great year next year." He leaned down conspiratorially and nodded toward the football coach, who was on his way out the door. "By the way, Cato has been eying you all night."

Glimmer glanced over her shoulder and pursed her lips speculatively. "See you around, Peeta," she said vaguely as she started toward the exit in her impossibly high heels.

Peeta grinned at Katniss. "I think your 'stare of death' was turned up to full power there. Thanks for that."

Katniss blushed and looked down at the floor. "I still don't understand what you saw in her."

"Hey." Peeta used his index finger to tilt her chin back up so that he could see her face. She was clearly conflicted about her reaction to Glimmer and it made him feel oddly hopeful. "I was just passing time while I wait for the one I really want to figure it out."

Katniss gave him a puzzled look and was opening her mouth to ask another question when they were interrupted by a scrape of tables across the floor.

"Hey Brainless," called Johanna. "If you're quite finished chasing off the competition, get your ass over here. We're going to play Never Have I Ever."

Before long, they were gathered around the table with Finnick, Delly, Delly's husband Thom. Johanna arrived carrying a tray of shots. "I love this game," she said cheerfully. "I get drunk so fast."

Katniss rolled her eyes. "No wonder. Is there anything you haven't done?"

Johanna gave her co-worker a mischievous grin. "Don't be jealous, Everdeen. We can't all be as pure as you."

Those silver orbs rolled again and Katniss reached for a shot. "Whatever."

Jo rubbed her hands in glee. "OK. Delly, you start."

Delly spun her shot on the table thoughtfully and then looked up with a grin. "Never have I ever used handcuffs in bed." Jo and Finnick each raised their glasses and tossed back the shots.

"Of course you have," groaned Katniss and threw her crumpled napkin at Jo. She was so busy laughing at her co-worker that she didn't notice when Peeta downed his shot too. Unfortunately, Jo caught him as he snuck his hand across the table to grab a fresh one.

"Peeta drank!" she hooted while he tried not to cringe. "Brainless, there's more to your boy than you think!" Peeta flushed and tried not to look at Katniss, who was staring at him open-mouthed.

It was Thom's turn. "Never have I ever kissed a man." The girls all groaned, but Peeta was the only one who didn't drink.

They all looked at Finnick in surprise. He grinned back at them. "I don't kiss and tell. My turn. Never have I ever flashed anyone."

No one drank, but everyone laughed and turned their attention to Peeta. His heart stuttered a little when he felt Katniss's eyes on him and he stared intently down into his shot glass. "Never have I ever been with the woman I'm in love with."

Finnick's eyes flitted between Peeta and Katniss with a knowing gleam. "Here's to my Annie," he crowed and drank. Thom kissed Delly on the cheek and downed his drink.

"Alright, Brainless," said Jo. "Your turn."

Katniss made a face at Jo. "Never have I ever paid more for a pair of shoes than my rent."

"Bitch." Jo flipped Katniss the bird and took her shot. "My turn. Never have I ever had a wet dream about someone at this table."

Shit, thought Peeta, as he tipped up his glass. Delly drank. Thom drank. Katniss drank.

Katniss drank? Peeta couldn't breathe. Jo was crowing about something, but he couldn't hear her over the sound of his pounding heart. Surely he was seeing things, but the shot glass was definitely empty and Katniss's death stare was about to burn a hole through Jo, who grinned fiendishly and asked if they wanted to play another round. Finn declined and said he needed to stumble back to Annie. Delly and Thom said they needed to get home and offered to share a cab with Jo. Peeta and Katniss followed everyone else out the door, but Peeta's mind was still on Katniss's empty shot glass and her dream the night before.

They were alone in the parking lot before Peeta found his voice. "You ready?" Katniss nodded meekly, her hands jammed into the pockets of her shorts. Peeta hooked his hand at her elbow and led her quickly down the street to their house. He wanted- he needed to know if he was right.

Once they were safely inside the door, he flipped the lock and used his arms to cage her against it. Katniss's eyes were moon-shaped and she was biting down on her lip. "Tell me."

She looked away. "Peeta, please don't be mad."

His head dropped in frustration and he tried to get control of himself. "I'm not mad, Katniss. But this is very important. Was it me? Do you dream about me?"

Katniss covered her face with her hands and nodded. "I'm sorry, Peeta. I've been very frustrated lately. It's been a long time since I... and Jo and Delly have been teasing me about us. I guess they got in my head." She glanced at him worriedly.

"Katniss, it's OK." He sighed and swiped his hand over his face. What the hell was he supposed to do? She was rubbing herself against his thigh while she dreamed about him, but she still obviously didn't know if her feelings for him were real. He stepped back from the door. "It's been awhile for me too. Glimmer and I-" Peeta broke off when Katniss scoffed and looked away again. "Hey." He gently turned her face back to his own. "Glimmer and I hadn't had sex in awhile when we broke up. So, it's been a couple of months. Believe me, I'm frustrated."

Katniss frowned. "Well, it's been longer than that for me. Darius and I… Well, I just wasn't feeling it, so it's been about a year. And like I said, you've been on my mind, a lot. And last night, I had a dream about you. It's just hormones, I know that, but I've been thinking… Oh God, I can't believe I'm saying this." She buried her face in her hands again. "Maybe we should have sex." The words came out in a rush through her fingers. "Just to release the tension, you know?"

Peeta's heart clutched. Katniss, his Katniss, wanted to have sex with him. But not because she loved him. At least, not the way he wanted her to. He lifted her hands from her face and held them in his own and then closed the space between them, praying she wouldn't protest. When she said nothing, he dropped one hand so that he could rest his on her waist and felt a small twinge of satisfaction when she did the same.

"Katniss," he breathed and rubbed his nose against hers. His other hand threaded through her hair at the back of her neck. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her smooth, pink lips the way he'd always imagined. He withdrew just enough to take her bottom lip between his own and kissed her again. Katniss's arms snaked around his waist, welcoming his weight against her. She sighed softly and Peeta swiped his tongue inside her mouth. Katniss responded eagerly, clutching the back of his shirt and offering her throat to him. He found a spot below her jaw that made her groan in delight. She dragged her fingers into his hair to hold him in place. His hands gripped her ass and held her tight against him.

Peeta had been a goner for Katniss since the day he first laid eyes on her. And now Katniss was ready and willing. The need to have her was almost overwhelming.

Almost.

Peeta's hand slid from her rear to wrap her leg around his hips. He pressed himself into her softness and smiled in satisfaction at her little gasp of surprise. His lips fell to her ear. "The first time I make love to you won't be when you've been drinking. And it won't be to release tension, Katniss."

Katniss took a deep breath and held it, but she didn't move away. He slipped his hand under the flannel shirt to brush his knuckles against the side of her breast and listened as her breath shuddered slowly from her chest. Peeta raised his head to look her in the eyes. "I've wanted you forever. You're it for me, Katniss." Peeta gave her another searing kiss. "And when you finally see that we are perfect for each other..." He rubbed himself against her again, partly to please himself and partly to make his next point. "When you want me because it's me, because I'm the one for you..." He kissed her softly. "Then I'll accept your offer."

* * *

AN - I know, I know. I'm awful. Please don't kill me! What do you think? Did Peeta do the right thing? How long is he going to make her suffer? I owe a big debt of thanks to peetabreadgirl who talked me through all of this. She's the bestest! And a shout out to marizpe17 for coming to my rescue on Tumblr with all of those great Never Have I Ever suggestions. Just one more chapter, I think!


	3. Honesty Time

The morning sun streamed through the windows. Peeta dusted the countertop with flour, wiped his hands off on his t-shirt, and lifted the dough for the cinnamon buns from the warm bowl by the oven where he'd left it to rise. He dumped it in a heap on the floured surface and began to roll it out.

He loved his kitchen, loved knowing it was his, even if this was Katniss's house. He'd only had to cook a handful of frustrating meals in the outdated space before she'd announced the project, telling him to organize it however he liked and buy whatever appliances he wanted. She'd shrugged the whole thing off as an investment in the property, but Peeta knew it was a gift to him.

Wanting to contribute to the rehab, Peeta had done almost all of the work himself. He'd gutted the kitchen, cheerfully tossing the old 1970s cupboards and appliances into a dumpster. He'd ripped out the linoleum and replaced it with hardwood flooring, installed the new white cabinets with the frosted glass doors, even bought a book on plumbing and installed the sink and the line for the icemaker. The island and its grey granite countertop was the kitchen's glistening showpiece. If he'd entertained a few fantasies about laying Katniss across it and going down on her like a starving man presented with his last meal, well, he wasn't hurting anyone but himself.

The subject of his daydreams, looking rather rumpled and grumpy in a tank top and a pair of his boxers, wandered into the kitchen while he brushed the now flat dough with melted butter. Peeta said nothing, gesturing toward the coffee pot, already full of the rich brew he knew she preferred after a night out. He lavished the buttered dough with a generous helping of brown sugar and a layer of cinnamon and rolled it into a tight roll while she fixed herself a cup. She leaned against the counter and watched him in silence as he sliced the roll, tucked each bun into a waiting pan and popped it in the oven.

Peeta set the timer, sipped his tea deliberately and then turned to face her. Katniss was staring into her mug - the Grumpy Cat one he'd bought her for her birthday as a joke, her lip caught between her teeth.

"So, are we going to do this, then?"

Katniss looked up at him, alarmed. "What?"

Ah, so he'd made the right call last night after all. He sipped his tea again as he observed her, only steps away. She wasn't ready. "Are we going to be awkward? That was quite a revelation last night. For both of us."

He put his tea down and stepped away from the stove. Her eyes widened as he lifted her coffee cup from her hands, put it on the counter and closed in. He stopped only inches away and cleared his throat before reaching out to sweep her braid off her shoulder. Her lips were slightly parted, kissably soft. There was want in her eyes, and more than a little trepidation. He stroked her cheek with his knuckles.

"I can't unsay it, Katniss. And I won't go back to pretending this isn't real between us."

"Peeta-" she breathed and he was so close to her that the words felt like a caress to his cheek.

"I'm sorry if that makes you nervous, but I've waited all this time. I can wait a little longer." His lips brushed her cheek and then hovered by her left ear. "But don't think I'm going to make it easy for you." He felt, rather than heard, her sharp intake of breath and couldn't resist kissing a sensitive spot below her ear before stepping back and reaching for his tea again.

"Breakfast will be ready in about 15 minutes. I'm going upstairs to get dressed." He also needed to get control of himself, but she didn't need to know that.

Katniss watched him walk away, admiring the curve of his ass in his boxers. She called out to him and he turned around just inside the kitchen door.

"How long?"

"I told you, 15 minutes."

"No," she said, twisting her fingers together. "How long have you been waiting for me to catch up?" The corner of his mouth quirked up and a dimple formed in his cheek. Katniss imagined pressing her lips to the divot.

Peeta shrugged. "Always."

* * *

Katniss drove home the next day, lost in thought. Peeta had been true to his word. It was driving her crazy. They'd spent all day at home yesterday, working in the garden, making dinner, doing their weekly chores. Every time their fingers brushed, a jolt of awareness zipped down her spine. Every gentle touch of her back as he passed her, every tap on the shoulder, was like a caress. He'd held her hand on the deck while they sipped wine and watched the sun dip below the horizon and she'd felt bereft when he'd gone upstairs to get ready for bed.

She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she turned onto their street. Thoughts of him had crowded her mind all day long. But she couldn't figure out, for the life of her, whether it had always been that way or whether this awareness of him was new found and all-consuming.

When she got in the house, Katniss kicked her heels into the closet and headed for the kitchen. She could smell meat on the grill and decided to set the table before she changed out of the sleeveless shift dress she'd worn to work. She was pulling forks and knives out of the drawer, with her back to the patio door, when she heard the screen door swish open. Peeta's heavy footsteps approached and stopped just behind her. A warm hand against her belly gently pressed her backwards and held her nestled against him. Her body melted against him naturally.

"I just need the spatula so I can flip the burgers," he rumbled softly, as his free hand reached around her and into the drawer.

"Oh," she replied, her hands full of utensils.

Peeta buried his face in her neck and they stood there, silently basking in the other's closeness, until Peeta finally pressed his lips to her cheek. "I missed you today," he told her, and then Katniss felt him gather himself, step back and turn back the way he came.

"Be sure to pick up your shoes, you slob," he called as the door slid closed behind him again. She dumped the cutlery on the table, presented him with her middle finger while he laughed, and went upstairs to change.

They ate their burgers on the back deck, listening to the birds in the trees. Katniss had just wrapped her mouth around another juicy bite when Peeta announced he was going downtown in the morning.

"I need to pick up my keys from Cinna and start thinking about how to set up my classroom," he explained, and then asked if she would have time for lunch after.

Katniss swallowed her burger thoughtfully and swigged her cider. "Actually, I'd really like to see the school."

He smiled at her happily. "I'll pick you up."

* * *

Peeta held Katniss's hand as they climbed the steps to the school. The front, Katniss realized, was an old church. He swung the heavy wooden door open with ease and gestured for her to go first. Inside, the ceilings soared high above Katniss's head and the stained glass windows cast a warm, but muted glow on dark wooden beams and stone that surrounded her.

"This place had great acoustics," he informed her. "Perfect for the music program. Then they built an addition on to house the other programs." Katniss noticed a modern set of double doors in a wall to her right.

"My classroom's that way," he told her, excitement in his voice. "But first we have to stop to get the keys from Cinna."

The new part of the school was a marvel of modern architecture and a stark, but pleasing contrast to the historic church. Peeta led her down a breezeway almost entirely enclosed in glass and knocked smartly on an open door that was labelled _Cinna._ A man with skin the colour of coffee looked up from his laptop. His amber eyes lit with pleasure when they landed on Peeta. He unfurled himself from his desk like a cat, and moved just as silently. He extended his hand.

"Ah, Peeta. I'm glad you came in today. And this is?"

Peeta waggled her hand in his and eyed her uncertainly. "This is my…" Katniss waited for him to say best friend, but he smiled elusively instead. "This is my Katniss."

Cinna made a sound of recognition and took her chin in his hand, looking her over more carefully. "Your muse. Well, Peeta, I must say you have a gift for realism. I should have recognized her straightaway. She's every bit as striking as she is in your work."

Cinna dropped his hand and held it out to Katniss. "I'm sorry, Katniss, sometimes an artist gets carried away. It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome."

Cinna moved gracefully back to his desk and snatched a set of keys off the surface. He handed them to Peeta who accepted them with a grateful smile. "One for your classroom, one for the studio, and one for the front door so you can come and go after hours," he informed Peeta. "You'll get your security code when school starts."

Peeta thanked him and led Katniss down the hall again, still holding her hand. "So, the music program is in the church. The dance and theatre programs share the first and second floors, although they all use the old church for performances and the theatre kids go back and forth between all three programs. The academic programs are on third, because the kids still need to get their basic credits to have a state-recognized diploma." He reached out and pressed the up button on the elevator. "The art program is in the penthouse."

She listened distractedly, as Peeta prattled on about his plans for the year, her mind on the words _muse_ and _your work_. Peeta has been drawing her?

"This is me," he said cheerfully, slipping his key into the lock of the classroom door. He looked at her curiously. "Is everything alright? You're very quiet." She murmured that everything was fine and followed him into the room.

The space was wide and bright, and even though this was a specialized school, the desks were arranged similarly to high schools everywhere.

"So, this is my art history room. I think I'm going to get some posters for over there," he said, nodding behind Katniss, "of some of the artists we'll cover in the curriculum. Almost all of the students take art history as part of their history credit." Peeta crossed the room and opened another door. "My studio is through here."

He led Katniss into the next room and she understood at last why the art studios were in the penthouse. The ceiling was filled with skylights and one entire wall was made of glass, bathing the room in the natural light.

She strolled between the easels and stools set up around the classroom. They all faced a slightly raised platform in the middle of the room. She walked toward it and stepped up, turning slowly in a circle. "Is this for a model?" she asked.

Peeta approached her and stopped on the floor in front of the platform. "It's to feature anything they draw or paint, really. But sure, a model would stand there."

"Maybe you should draw me."

His eyes widened. "What? Now?"

Katniss shrugged. "Sure. Why not? Cinna said you've drawn me before."

Peeta looked at the floor, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "About that, Katniss, I'm sorry."

Her brows furrowed. "Why?"

Peeta kicked at the platform. "Well, Cinna wanted some examples of my work, including some of people, and well, the best ones I had were of you. Anyway, he noticed they were all of the same person and said you must be my muse. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Katniss bit her lip. Peeta _had_ been drawing her. A lot, it sounded like. She wasn't embarrassed, but she was curious. "Can I see them?"

The tips of Peeta's ears turned pink. "They're, um, not here. They're at home."

She straightened her posture and gave him a defiant look. "Draw me now then."

His head snapped up. "Now?" he croaked. She nodded. "Don't you need to go back to work?"

She chuckled. "I'm the boss, Peeta. If I'm late, I'll just reprimand myself."

Peeta moved swiftly to the supply closet in the back of the room and extracted some charcoal pencils and a sketchpad. Before she knew it, he was fussing with his materials on an easel. He sat down on the stool in front of it and scowled, which made her laugh.

"Am I rubbing off on you?"

He ignored her quip and dragged the easel closer to the platform, then he grabbed a second stool and carried it up to her. He took her by the shoulders and gently lowered her to the stool. She could feel his hands, trembling slightly, through the thin fabric of her blouse. "Nervous?"

He let out a little huff of air. "A little, yeah," he acknowledged, rubbing his hands up and down her upper arms as if to reassure himself she was there. "You've never offered to do this before. I've always wanted to."

She shrugged. Before today, she didn't know Peeta had ever even considered sketching her. "You never asked."

He smiled shyly. "I'm… I'm just going to pose you a bit, okay?"

Katniss nodded, and waited for him to start to manipulate her body. Instead, he reached for the buttons on her blouse. He looked to her for permission. Katniss exhaled slowly, but did not object. Peeta's fingers released a button, then another, and still one more before looking up at her.

"That's something else I've always wanted to do," he said hoarsely and positioned the now open neckline so that her shoulders were bare. He fingered the end of her braid. "Do you mind if I…?" The question trailed off in the air. Unable to speak, Katniss gave him a nod of agreement and Peeta slipped the elastic off of the end of her braid, slowly combing his fingers through her hair until it fell loosely down her back.

He stepped away from her and returned to his easel. "Turn your back on me," he instructed, and she obeyed, turning her gaze to the empty half circle of easels on the other side of the room. "Now turn your head and your upper body very slowly until you can see me." She felt very awkward and self-conscious, but did as Peeta asked and when her eyes locked with his, he gave her an encouraging smile and walked back to her.

"Almost there, Sweetheart," he whispered. "Just drop your shoulder a touch." He lifted her chin gently and lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was feather light, but her stomach clenched into a tight fist just the same and it took all of her willpower not to pull him back for more. He brushed a lock of her hair to the side. "Perfect. Don't move."

He went back to his seat and she sat quietly as his pencil flew over the paper, the tip of his tongue poking from between his lips in concentration. The room was silent except for the ticking of the clock and the scratch of his pencil on the paper.

He had that fallen angel look about him again. She decided it suited him - beauty, passion, an outward sweetness that barely concealed the edgier side of his personality that almost no one got to see. Every once in awhile, he'd glance up and give her a searing look that made her want to wriggle on her stool for relief, and then his eyes would drop to the paper again.

Katniss wasn't sure how long she sat, but a knot was forming in her back when Peeta finally said he was finished. She winced and hissed when she stood up. Peeta looked up from the sketchbook, concerned. "Did you get a stitch? I'm sorry, Katniss, I lost track of time." Peeta stood up and joined her on the platform, holding out his arms to her. She rose and slipped her arms around his waist.

She let out a small groan and buried her face in his shoulder when his fingers began to probe the sore spot.

"Right there?" he asked, and cleared his throat. Katniss nodded and Peeta's strong fingers began to massage the knot. She moaned again. He gave a long exhale. "Cut me some slack, please, Katniss."

She gave a low chuckle and and whispered a "sorry" that was completely free of remorse. When the pain began to recede, Katniss sighed happily and raised her head to thank him. Peeta's eyes were hooded and his jaw was taut.

"Better?"

Katniss nodded. "Ye-"

"Good," he interrupted, and before she could say anything else, her face was in Peeta's hands and he kissed her. His mouth moved hungrily, insistently over her own. Katniss's hands slid up his chest and around his neck to urge him closer, probing the seam of his lips with her tongue and then slipping hers along his with a sigh of satisfaction. How was it possible that this ache inside of her was even greater than what she'd felt after the party the other night?

His fingers found the remaining buttons of her blouse, opening them deftly and soon his hands were gliding across her bare stomach and up her back. Katniss's fingers danced up his neck and fisted in his hair while Peeta's lips moved from her mouth to the slender column of her neck and throat. He suckled on the sensitive skin between her collarbones. He kissed a trail across the top of one breast before covering it with his palm, teasing her nipple to a rigid peek as his lips slid along the edge of her bra, down into the valley of warm, soft flesh and up the other side. Fire sliced through her. The need to know him - all of him - clawed fiercely inside her like a monster raging for release from its cage, and she opened the door.

Her hands gathered the hem of his shirt and he allowed her to push it up and over his head. Placing her open hands against his chest, she relished the strength and heat she felt under her palms. While Katniss's lips rained soft kisses along his breastbone, her hands travelled slowly down. His stomach quivered with excitement under her fingertips before they slipped along his sides to grip his ass. Peeta made a rumbling noise of approval deep in his chest before returning her lips to his. Her legs turned to jelly and she lowered herself back down to the stool, tugging Peeta with her. He stood between her parted legs, his hands creeping up her thighs until her leather skirt was riding high on her hips and she felt his erection hard against her most sensitive place.

Katniss groaned softly and reached for the button of his jeans. Peeta sucked in his breath on a hiss and closed his hand over hers. He moaned in frustration. "Katniss, we better stop."

"What?" Katniss tried to connect her thoughts, still navigating her way through the haze of passion they'd generated.

Peeta lowered his forehead to hers and gave a rueful chuckle as stroked her cheek and stepped out of her arms. "If Cinna walked in on us right now, I'd probably be fired. From the dream job I haven't even started yet."

He was right. Katniss knew that. She stood up and shimmied her skirt into place while she buttoned her blouse. If he hadn't stopped them, would she have managed to put on the brakes? The lust-beast she'd set free earlier growled _hell no_ in her subconscious. She could feel Peeta's eyes on her, as he waited for her to say something, anything about what just happened, but she had absolutely no idea what to say.

She pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers and watched Peeta bend to snatch his shirt from the floor. The muscles of his back corded as he hastily put it back on. What was wrong with her? She'd practically ripped her best friend's clothes off. She could have put his career in danger. This was why a sexual relationship between them was so risky.

Katniss was still braiding her hair when she stepped off the riser and approached Peeta at the easel where he was hastily ripping his drawing from the sketch pad and rolling it into a tight scroll. His eyebrows were drawn together.

"What's wrong?"

The look on his face was full of frustration. "Even after that, you won't admit what you want, will you?"

Blushing furiously, she pressed her lips together, trying to find the right words to explain herself. "What I want and what we should do could be two different things, Peeta. What happens to us if this doesn't work? I'm lousy at relationships."

"Katniss, you are not. We've been best friends for a decade. How can that be if you're lousy at relationships?"

She tossed her braid over her shoulder. "That's different, Peeta," she huffed, and he shook his head.

"You're right, Katniss. It is different. This thing between you and me? It's once in a lifetime. And those guys? Tell me they meant more to you than I do, Katniss. Tell me they thought it was okay for me to be part of every aspect of your life."

She stared at a spot over his shoulder. She couldn't tell him that. None of her boyfriends had ever been comfortable with her bond with Peeta. Their friendship meant everything to her.

" _This_ is a relationship, Katniss," he said, gesturing between them with the rolled up drawing in his fist. "The longest, most intense relationship of my life. I know, without a doubt, that you're the one for me. But I can't keep sharing my life with you and my body with someone else. I want more." Peeta ran his free hand through his hair before allowing it to slap against his thigh. "I want everything." He cleared his throat and his gaze fell to the floor. When he spoke again his voice was softer, but filled with determination. "And I want it with you."

Something was happening, Katniss knew. Something monumental. She had to stop it before it went any further. "Peeta-"

His eyes flew up to meet hers. "No. Let me finish. I am in love with you, Katniss. I want a future with you. And if you don't feel the same, then you need to tell me so that I can at least try to move on."

Katniss couldn't speak. She could feel the tears building behind her eyes and she knew the dam would burst the minute she opened her mouth.

He passed her the rolled up drawing. "Here's the sketch you asked me for. I'll see you at home."

Katniss watched Peeta walk away and wondered if she'd ever be able to let him go for real.

* * *

Johanna found Katniss at her desk an hour later, with her hands in her hair, gazing down at Peeta's drawing. She gave a low whistle.

"Holy shit, Brainless, did you and Blondie finally get naked?"

"No." Katniss continued to stare at the picture. She still wasn't convinced that the woman in the picture was her. That was her hair, she was quite sure. Possibly her chin. But this woman's eyes held hidden secrets. She had an air of vulnerability about her that Katniss had never seen when she looked in the mirror.

Johanna pulled the drawing out from under Katniss's elbows and scrutinized it with a frown. "Hmm. I guess it's the bedsheet you're wrapped in that threw me off, but yeah, he still hasn't given you the D." She tossed the picture back on Katniss's desk. "That is not the portrait of a well-satisfied woman. That woman is wearing a come-hither stare."

Katniss examined the artwork again. Johanna was right. The woman in Peeta's drawing was looking over her shoulder, waiting for her lover to join her. Waiting for the artist to join her. She scrubbed her hand over her face and looked at Johanna in bewilderment. "Jo, what am I going to do?"

Johanna perched on the edge of Katniss's desk and smirked. "Well, a little window shopping never hurt anyone. It's been awhile since we tested your alcohol tolerance. I'd say it's time for a girl's night out."

* * *

The music was pounding at Ripper's, the singles' bar Johanna liked to frequent. Katniss followed in her friend's wake as she slithered through the crowd of men and women all looking for their next _something_ \- whether that was love or just their next conquest, they all had the same look in their eyes.

Agreeing to come here was a mistake, Katniss decided. A meat market like this one had never been her scene.

They ordered drinks at the bar and then made their way to a table. Johanna's eyes scanned the room and landed on a tall guy with long blonde locks at the back of the room. "What about him? You like blondes."

"Hmm?" Katniss looked up from her phone. Still no response from Peeta. She'd texted him hours ago to let him know she was going out and wouldn't be home until later.

"The guy over there with the gorgeous hair. What do you think?"

Katniss followed Johanna's gaze. "Oh. Too tall for me. I'd have a kink in my neck from staring up at him all the time."

Johanna pursed her lips and sipped her vodka and lime. "Okay. What about him?" She inclined her head toward a brown-haired man in an expensive suit three tables over. He was watching them closely over his glass of scotch. "He looks to be of average height."

Katniss frowned. "Lawyer. Not my type."

The lawyer caught sight of Katniss's scowl and turned his back on them. Johanna huffed in annoyance. "Try not to scare them away, all right?"

A statuesque woman with mocha skin cruised by and gave Johanna a look designed to melt a glacier. Her gold dress clung to her curves. Johanna stared back, her eyes slowly perusing the other woman's body and her catlike smile advertising that she liked what she saw.

Katniss turned to her friend. "Seriously? You're picking up tonight? I thought we were drowning my sorrows."

Jo scoffed. "That's what this place is for, Brainless. That's why you're here."

Katniss shook her head. "Definitely not. This is so not my scene. I'd rather stay home and watch Netflix with Peeta."

Johanna thumped her drink down on the table. "Now we're getting somewhere! What does that tell you?"

Katniss rolled her eyes. "That I like movies better than meat markets?"

"You really are Brainless. It says that you'd rather be with Peeta. Be honest, Brainless. You know Blondie is as hot as fuck, right?"

Katniss choked on her Jack and Coke. "Right," she managed to say when she finished coughing.

Johanna leaned in closer. "And you've always thought that, haven't you? For as long as you've known him."

Katniss took another drink to give herself time to think before answering. She thought back to Peeta wandering the halls of their high school, his blonde curls peeking out from under his baseball cap and his shy glances across the cafeteria, the way his eyes lit up when he sat beside her that first day in their lit class in college and the sweet smile he'd offered her. She recalled the strength of his arms around her, the long nights in the tent or in his bed when she'd lain awake wondering what would happen if only she reached out and touched him. She remembered how firm his chest had felt under her hands that afternoon. "Yes, I've always known that he's good looking."

Johanna spun her empty glass on the tabletop. "And you've always wanted to bone him, haven't you?" Katniss started to protest. "C'mon. Honesty time."

Katniss stared into her empty glass and watched the ice cubes melting into an amber puddle. She sighed and put it down. "It's not just about sex with us. He was right about that the other night. It would be so much less complicated if it were. But then we wouldn't be what we are to each other."

"You didn't answer my question, Brainless."

Katniss frowned. "At first, in college, I thought, maybe, we might be going somewhere. But, he never, ever said anything. I just figured he was out of my league, " she said with a shrug. "So, I totally committed myself to our friendship, accepted that was the only way he'd ever be mine. Now he's saying he's always had feelings for me. I don't know what to do."

"We're having another drink," Johanna said as she stood up. "Don't move."

While Johanna was gone, Katniss watched the bar patrons drinking, dancing, chatting each other up. Each of them alone or unhappy with what they had, searching among the willing for a warm body, some secretly hoping for that perfect match.

Johanna plunked another Jack and Coke on the table in front of her. "Personally, I think you're overthinking this whole thing. Blondie loves you, despite your many, many imperfections. As long as I've known you both, he's looked at you like you hung the moon."

Katniss lifted her glass and took a long swallow. "What if I completely screw it up, Jo?"

Johanna snickered. "Well, if it was left to you, that's a real possibility. But you've got him and the two of you have managed to make it work all this time so, I say give it a shot."

Katniss said nothing, lost in thought, as the club music throbbed around her. Could she risk it? Peeta was everything to Katniss, the one person she could rely upon to be solidly in her corner above all else. They shared their triumphs, their sorrows. She remembered how he'd held her when her father died and her mother took her little sister and moved across the country. The bravery he'd shown when he'd finally refused to to slave in the family bakery any longer. She'd held his hand that day, while his mother raged, and then carried his boxes to her car after his mother had thrown him out. The night she and Johanna had left Crane & Heavensbee, Peeta had helped them to pack up their client files and sneak of out the office. She thought about the kisses against the door, the embrace in his classroom, the drawing that was folded neatly in her purse.

Katniss looked around crowded bar and watched the game being played. And finally understood why she'd never bothered to participate. She tossed back the rest of her drink and stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Johanna's green eyes glittered. "If you come to work tomorrow, I'll be seriously disappointed in Blondie. I'll see you the day after."

* * *

To Katniss's surprise, the house was in darkness and Peeta's car was gone when she pulled up in a cab just after nine o'clock. She paid the cabbie and let herself inside. She wandered into the kitchen, hoping to find a note or some clue as to Peeta's whereabouts. When she saw there was no note on the counter, she opened the fridge. All the ingredients for dinner were inside, but Peeta hadn't bothered to put them together.

She checked her phone again. Still nothing. Katniss's heart lurched. It was completely unlike Peeta not to let her know if he wasn't going to be home. She left the kitchen and went into the living room. Everything was still in its place, but there was no sign of Peeta. She flew upstairs and peeked into his room and it was still as tidy as he'd left it that morning.

Where was he? Locked in the school? Did he have a car accident? With her pulse pounding in her ears, she considered the text she'd sent him. Had he taken her quick, " _Going out with Jo. Be home later_ ," as her answer to his plea this afternoon? What if he was, ugh, moving on? How would she stand watching him with another woman? It had been hard enough before she knew that she stood a chance.

She closed her eyes and willed herself to breathe. This was Peeta. Her Peeta. The man who drew her portrait today would never do something like that. She checked the time on her phone. It was still early. If he wasn't home in an hour, she'd call him.

She changed out of her work clothes and into her cutoffs and a tank before going back downstairs and pulling Peeta's drawing out of her purse. She spread it carefully on the coffee table and studied it again with her elbows on her knees. The woman in the picture was slender. Long, delicate fingers held the sheet in place above her breasts. Her hair flowed in raven waves over her shoulders. Her mouth wasn't smiling, but her lips were relaxed and parted slightly. Her grey eyes were full of questions, mystery and deeply buried hunger. She closed her eyes and sank her fingers into her hair.

She raised her head when Peeta's heavy tread sounded on the front steps and his key scraped inside the lock. The door opened and closed. She heard him hang up his jacket and then he appeared in the door to living room. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and leaned against the doorframe. "Hey."

"You're back." He nodded, saying nothing. "I didn't know what to think when there was no sign of you when I got home.

Peeta shrugged. "Finn called in a panic just before dinnertime. Annie was in labour and he was too wound up to drive. So I took them to the hospital and then I waited around for a while since I didn't think you would be home."

"Annie had the baby? Isn't it a little early? Are they alright?"

Peeta smiled at the thought of Annie. "Yeah. They're both fine. He was only a couple of weeks early."

Katniss smiled. Finn and Annie had a boy. "What's his name?"

Peeta pushed off the wall and entered the living room. "Declan Finnick Odair," he told her before sinking onto the sofa. "He was only six and a half pounds and still took eight hours to arrive." He tipped sideways and laid his head in Katniss's lap. She gently stroked the curls from his forehead. "I'm so tired, Katniss."

"I was worried," she told him. "When I came home to talk to you and you weren't here. You didn't answer my text."

"I was mad," he said simply, as she continued to stroke his hair. "You were avoiding me."

Katniss brushed her fingers over his ear as she moved them through his golden strands and held her tongue. She hadn't been avoiding him - exactly. She'd just wanted time to think. They sat quietly for a few minutes. He stared out at the coffee table, his hand on her knee, while her fingernails scratched at his scalp.

"Did you like it? The sketch?"

"I can't decide. Is that how you see me?"

Peeta sat up, lifted the drawing from the table and gave it an appraising glance. "That's how I saw you at that moment." He tossed it back down and stood up. "Just a second, I'll be right back." Moments later he returned carrying his portfolio. His sketchbook was under his arm. He sat down beside her on the couch, his bottom lip clamped firmly in his teeth. He laid the portfolio on the coffee table and opened it for her to see.

"Cinna wasn't kidding when he said you were my muse," he admitted. "I was afraid to show you these, Katniss. I didn't want you to feel like I was creepy or be self-conscious. I just-" Peeta shrugged. "I just needed a way to express my feelings for you."

Katniss looked down and saw that the very first work in his portfolio was of her. Unlike the sketch he'd given her earlier in the day, this one was inked. Her head was thrown back in laughter and she suspected she was sitting on their deck. One shoulder was slipping out of the neck of what was probably his wrestling t-shirt. She turned the page and found a spectacular landscape of the sun setting over the lake where they used to camp. On the next page, Peeta had depicted any one of a hundred days at her office. She was leaning against her desk, her hair sleek and smooth against her silk blouse. The tip of her pencil was in her mouth as she considered the sheet in her hand. Her high heels were kicked off on the floor beside her. She flipped the page again to find a still life study of a basket of cheese buns wrapped in a warm towel next to a pot of coffee. A few flowers that she recognized from their garden were stuffed in a green bottle and presiding over the scene. The next page was a sketch of her, sound asleep in his bed.

She picked up the sketchbook and found page after page of what could only be her. Several pages of her eyes alone. Almost as many of her lips. They smiled, scowled, pouted. A similar number of the contours of her body. She swam in the surf. She peered at him over her coffee mug. Near the end of the book, he'd drawn her with swollen lips, flushed cheeks, and wild eyes. It was a portrait of desire.

When Katniss finally turned her eyes back to Peeta, his fingers were in knots. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. "I love the way you know how I'm feeling by the look on my face. I love that you stand beside me and not in front of me when things go wrong. I love watching you talk about your students. I love the way you see the world and then bring it to life on paper. I love that you cook comfort food when you're upset and bake when you're happy, or when you want to make me happy."

Peeta's eyes were glassy when Katniss straddled his lap and placed her hands against his chest. "I love to watch you sleep. I love to curl up beside you and breathe you in. I love stealing your clothes because they belong to you and you make me feel safe. You make me feel cherished, Peeta. You're my best friend and I love you." She felt him sag a little under her hands. She still hadn't given him the words he needed. "Hey," she whispered and he looked up. "I'm also _in_ love with you. There's a good chance I always -"

She didn't get the rest of the words out. Peeta let out a shaky breath and swept his arms around her, capturing her lips and inviting her mouth to join his in an intricate dance. His tongue slid over her bottom lip, begging admission to her mouth and Peeta released a groan of pleasure when she allowed him inside.

A sense of rightness fell over Katniss, a knowledge that they were, undoubtedly, meant to be. The shy boy and the lonely girl who found a home in each other. This man, the person she admired above all others, saw her for who she was and loved her anyway, wanted her anyway. And she wanted him, the hunger for him rising like the tide inside her, a force more intense than anything she'd ever felt before. Heat pooled in her core when Peeta clutched at her hips and pressed her against him. She rocked against his hardness and whimpered in pleasure.

Peeta's mouth broke away from hers long enough to gasp her name before lowering his lips to the line of her jaw. He licked and kissed his way to her earlobe before whispering in her ear. "I love you, Katniss. I love you." Their centres connected again and another shock raced through her body. "Fuck," Peeta muttered against her skin. "I never thought this would happen."

Katniss slowly brought her arms from around his neck and slid them down chest, admiring the shape and firmness of the muscles she knew lay beneath the soft fabric of his t-shirt. She grasped the hem and whipped the shirt over his head, bringing her lips to the pulse point at his collar bone and sucking gently. His skin tasted sweet and his spicy cologne sent a shiver through her. Her hands roamed over his bare skin while she trailed the tip of her tongue up his neck to his ear. "It's real," she husked. "I love you, Peeta."

Sitting back, Katniss pulled off her tank, fully baring her breasts to him for the first time. Peeta's blue eyes turned to indigo as his pupils fattened with desire. His hands slid from her back so that he could cover her soft mounds and her head fell back in pleasure from the heat of his hands against the sensitive tips. She moaned when he rolled them between his thumb and forefinger, pinching slightly before covering one with his mouth. Warm wet heat rolled through her and coiled in her belly. His mouth dipped between her breasts before capturing the other one between his lips. Her hands threaded through his hair to hold him in place while he teased the nipple into a taut peak and then scraped his teeth against it. Katniss arched into the sensation, lost to the way he was making her feel.

"Peeta, please," she begged.

He raised his head and nipped her chin before taking it between his thumb and forefinger so that he could look her in the eyes. Katniss was blown away by the yearning in his expression.

"I've wanted you to be mine for so long," he rumbled, his voice deeper than she'd ever heard it. Her heart thundered in her chest. "Let me show you how much you mean to me. Please."

She licked her swollen lips and swallowed. She nodded. "Yes."

In seconds Peeta was on his feet, his hands planted on the pockets of her cutoffs as he propelled her up the stairs with her legs wrapped around his waist. Katniss's lips roamed his cheeks, his jaw, his neck, settling on a spot behind his ear that made him groan. When they reached his room, Peeta nudged the door open with his toe and strode inside. Katniss allowed her feet to slip to the floor.

The orange glow from the streetlight outside streamed across his face and Katniss stared up into his eyes. He gave her a soft smile and touched his forehead to hers, gently stroking her jaw with his thumb.

"I love you," they said at the same time and laughed nervously before growing serious again.

She cupped his face in her hands. "Make love to me," she said, and then rose on her toes and she drew him down to her lips, capturing first the top lip and then the bottom between her own. She bit down gently and then parted her lips, allowing him to massage her tongue with his. Peeta wrapped an arm around her tightly and she sighed as they slowly backed up towards the bed.

For the first time in her life, Katniss felt free to explore his body and she revelled in the breadth and power of his arms and shoulders. It amazed her that a man with such physical strength could be so gentle. But Peeta was. He made her feel safe. Protected. Respected. Miraculously, this beautiful man was her best friend. And he was about to be her lover.

Her lover. The idea sent a flash of heat from her chest to the tips of her fingers and the ends of her toes. Suddenly, they weren't close enough. She wanted to feel all of him. See all of him. She reached for the button on Peeta's jeans and felt his hands on her shorts. They frantically shed what remained of their clothes and fell to the bed.

Peeta's breath fell from his chest in quick pants as he leaned on one elbow beside her, brushing his knuckles up and down her hip, holding her in a gaze so intense she wondered if he was committing her body to memory.

"What are you thinking?"

"That my fantasies didn't do you justice."

Katniss felt the flush run up her neck to her cheeks and tried to cover it with her hands. "Peeta," she said in an exasperated tone. "I'm too skinny."

"You're beautiful." He placed a kiss just below her bellybutton and her insides quivered. "Perfect." He kissed her belly again and then laid down so that he could gently tug her on top of him. When she hovered above him, he gave her a hopeful smile. "Mine?"

"Always." Katniss sealed the promise with a kiss and they lost themselves in the spell they had woven. They explored each other's bodies with lips and hands, at first gentle, then growing ever frenzied as the urge to taste, to touch, to pleasure and be pleasured grew ever stronger.

It was so much, Katniss thought, so much more than she'd expected. So much more than she'd even imagined. When his fingers parted her lower lips and his tongue swept over her tiny bundle of nerves, she cried out in ecstasy, her hips arching off the bed. Peeta held her firmly in place with one hand and slipped two fingers inside her. Katniss began to move against them, whimpering softly with every flex of her hips. Peeta lowered his mouth to her core again flicking the nub of nerves with his tongue before drawing it between his lips to suck gently. He curled his fingers, stroking steadily until she rocketed into space with the stars. When she came back to Earth he was still slowly moving his fingers in and out, kissing her thigh softly. He offered her a crooked grin. "That was an amazing thing to watch. I want to do it again."

"Not without you. " She quirked her finger at him and he hovered above her. She pulled him down into a deep kiss. She could taste her tangy flavour on his lips and tongue. She broke off the kiss to cup his cheek in her hand. "I need you inside me."

Peeta reached into his bedside table, quickly extracting a foil package and sheathing himself. He aligned himself at her entrance and pushed forward. A long, low groan escaped Katniss's lips as she angled her hips to receive him while he moved ever deeper into the welcoming heat of her body. She opened her eyes to see him above her, his jaw slack and his eyes glazed.

She tightened her muscles around him and he cursed. "You feel so fucking good, Katniss." He withdrew and drove his hips back in more quickly. "I wanted to take this slow, but I'm not sure I can."

"Then don't. I need you." She wrapped her legs around his hips and he picked up speed, a groan emanating from his chest that sent a bullet of desire straight to where they were joined. It felt impossibly good to be this close to Peeta, to know she was responsible for the bliss she saw in his face. A coil inside her began to tighten. Each thrust of his hips sent another thrill through her body, bringing her ever closer to release. Peeta's hand slipped between them, applying steady pressure to her clit and at long last she sprang free, calling his name as she flew for the second time that night.

She watched as Peeta bit down on his lower lip, the rhythm of his hips becoming erratic. Their eyes locked. "Peeta, I want you to come for me." With her words, he groaned and found his release.

After, Katniss lay curled against his side, her head on his chest, running her fingers through the downy hairs on his pecs. Peeta snatched her hand away and kissed her knuckles.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too. That was…"

Peeta listened to her voice drift off and knew there weren't words to describe it. "I know," he agreed. The tips of his fingers ghosted up and down her side. She wriggled a bit when he touched the narrowest part of her waist where she was ticklish.

She turned her head and peered up at him. "Why didn't we think of this sooner?"

A chuckle rumbled out of Peeta's chest. "Believe me, Katniss. I've thought about it plenty."

She turned her head and peered up at him. "Oh yeah?"

He smirked at her. "Yeah."

She said nothing for a few seconds and then curiosity got the better of her. "Like what?"

He grinned. "You want locations or positions?"

She wiggled her eyebrows. "Tell me your favourite."

"That's too easy," he scoffed. "The kitchen island."

"Where you make my cheese buns? Peeta Mellark!" Peeta laughed, and while Katniss's voice sounded shocked, he could see the laughter in her eyes.

He snuggled closer. "We should sleep. It's late and you have to work in the morning." Katniss laughed and told him she couldn't go in to work in the morning or Johanna would doubt his skills. "In that case, rest up. I'm going to show you why I made that island so large in the morning."

Katniss laughed and smacked him, before settling back down. They laid silently in the dark, their naked bodies entwined. Peeta was just drifting off to sleep when she spoke again.

"Peeta, we're going to be okay, right?"

"We have each other," he told her. "We'll be just fine."

* * *

This fic would not be what it is without the encouragement and keen beta skills of peetabreadgirl and xerxia31. Seriously. I owe them a million thank you's and a fresh batch of cheese buns each. I 3 you both! You are rockstars and I'm so happy we're friends.


	4. Epilogue: You My Kitchen Our House

**AN - The morning after their first night together, Katniss and Peeta re-enact his favourite kitchen fantasy. NSFW, Written as a birthday gift for xerxia31.**

Peeta hummed happily in his kitchen as he cracked eggs into a bowl, followed by a little milk, oil and sugar. A generous dollop of vanilla. He whipped it into a frothy mess before adding flour, salt and baking powder and stirring it up. Making pancakes was so incredibly easy. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to use a flavourless box mix. He'd almost had a fit the first time Katniss had pulled out a box of Bisquick and suggested pancakes.

The shower turned off upstairs and he turned to flick on the coffee maker. Katniss would be down shortly.

The bacon sizzled in the oven and the batter fell to the surface of his griddle with a satisfying plop.

"Damn, it's sexy to watch you cook."

His girl wandered into the kitchen in his wrestling t-shirt and padded, barefoot, toward him. The tender look in her eyes took his breath away and sent a thrill through him. Even though her skin had been pressed up against his all night long, he was still finding it hard to believe that she was his at last. Her long, dark hair was still wet from her shower and hung loosely about her shoulders. Her arms wrapped around him from behind and she buried her face into his bare back. Her lips pressed a kiss between his shoulders.

He covered her hands with his free hand while flipping the pancakes with the other. "Good morning."

"Morning," Katniss mumbled into his back. "I woke up and you were gone."

The pancakes safely browning on their other side, Peeta lifted his arm and Katniss slid beneath it, lifting her face to his for a kiss. Her lips were still slightly swollen after making love with him all night, and her silver eyes had a dreamy quality about them he'd never seen before. "Sorry, love. You were sound asleep and I had the urge to make you breakfast." He smirked. "I figured you'd be hungry after last night."

Katniss stuck out her tongue and poked him in the side before pulling away and crossing to the coffee maker. "Those better be stellar pancakes, Mellark. We're celebrating after all."

From over his shoulder, he could see her reach up on her tiptoes for the Grumpy Cat mug. The t-shirt rose with her, exposing two soft, round cheeks. Fuck. She was naked under his shirt. His cock twitched awake.

"Peeta. Your pancakes are burning," Katniss said drily as she turned around.

Katniss chuckled, pouring her coffee, as Peeta cursed and whipped around, returning his attention to the stove. He quickly moved the cooked pancakes to the waiting plates already mounded with fresh fruit before dropping two more onto the pan. "You," he said warningly, "are distracting."

Katniss crossed to the fridge, poured a drop of milk into her coffee and stirred it slowly.

"What are we celebrating, anyway?" He knew the answer, but wanted to hear her say it. Her exasperated sigh made him grin and he could feel her eyes roll behind his back.

"Um, us? Duh."

Peeta flipped the pancakes and reached into the oven to pull out the bacon. It was perfectly crisp on the parchment paper. He began to plate the bacon, slid the last two pancakes into place and turned around. "Bon appe-"

The words in his mouth floated away. While his back was turned, Katniss had hopped up on the grey granite island where she was casually sipping at her coffee. Her eyes widened over her coffee cup when she saw his expression. Peeta opened the door to the oven and slid the plates inside before stalking toward her. Katniss gave a little squeak when he took her cup from her hands placed it on the cupboard behind him and then jerked her hips to his at the edge of the counter.

"You're sitting bare-assed on my island."

She nodded. "Sorry?"

He shook his head and buried his hands in her hair before dragging his fingers through it and sweeping it off her shoulders. The tip of his tongue slipped up her neck from her collarbone to the pulse point just under her jaw. He gave her jaw a light nip and whispered into her ear. "Don't be sorry. It's like my wet dream has come to life."

Katniss gave a breathy sigh as one of his hands stroked her cheek while he blazed a trail of open mouth kisses from her ear to her mouth. His lips finally covered her own and she opened her mouth to him, sweeping her tongue along his own in the sensuous dance they'd perfected the night before.

Peeta whipped off her shirt, tossing it to the floor so that he could palm her breasts in his hands before lowering his head to the rosy tips. "Ah, Peeta!" she called, planting her hands on the counter and throwing her head back in abandon. He suckled and teased until they were hard nubs and Katniss was beginning to rock her hips against him.

"Not yet, beautiful. That's not how this particular fantasy goes." He replaced his mouth with his thumbs and forefingers, lightly rolling and plucking at her nipples as his mouth slid down her body until he was kneeling between her parted legs. His hands fell to hips and he watched her from his position on the floor, placing soft kisses on the tender flesh of her inner thigh.

Still leaning on her arms, Katniss looked down at him, the corner of her plump lower lip caught between her teeth. "So, how does it go?" she asked him in a sultry voice. Her silver eyes had grown as smokey as her voice and his cock got uncomfortably hard and he fought for control. His hands slid over her hips until his thumbs brushed at the outer lips of her glistening femininity. Her breath hitched.

Peeta said nothing, keeping his eyes on her instead. He dipped his thumb into the cleft between her legs, stroking her slowly. Her eyes closed and her head fell back in pleasure. He began to move it in slow circles around the bundle of nerves that were buried in the softness, drawing a whining noise from Katniss that made him pick up the pace. Her back dropped to the surface of the counter.

"Peeta…" she groaned. "I want… I want..." He knew she was struggling with the words, but still he waited. "Please," she gasped.

"Tell me Katniss. I'll give you anything you want if you just ask me for it."

His thumb slowed its pace and she made a frantic sound. "Do you want me to taste you?" He resumed kissing her thighs.

"Uh-huh," she whimpered.

"I'm waiting, Katniss," he teased, laving his way up her thigh. She wriggled her hips, but he held her in place. "What do you want?"

Katniss threw one arm over her eyes in surrender. "I want your mouth on me," she confessed.

He threw her legs over his shoulders and brought his mouth to her waiting core. His tongue slipped through the folds, dipping inside her before teasing her throbbing button of pleasure. When he made contact, she released a shuddering groan that caused his balls to tighten. He loved her responsiveness. In all his lust-filled daydreams of the two of them together, he'd never envisioned that she'd need him as much as he needed her. He drew her clit between his lips and she cried out. He slipped two fingers inside. She moved against them mindlessly, seeking her release. She called his name in time with his thrusts, rolling her nipples between her fingers.

Unable to stand it any longer, Peeta reached into his pyjama pants and stroked himself lightly. The vibration of his groan skittered through her. Katniss's back arched off the countertop and he sucked harder while he pounded his fingers inside her. Her velvet walls clenched around his fingers so tightly that he could barely move them. He crooked his fingers inside her, stroking the sensitive spot he'd located the night before.

Katniss cried out, shattering into a million pieces as she fell against his countertop again, her breast heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Peeta rose above her and was reaching for the waistband of his pants, ready to bury himself inside her, when a flashing light went off in his head.

No protection. Shit. Fuck. Damn.

"Katniss, we've got to take this upstairs. I don't have a condom down here."

Katniss waved an arm at him weakly. "You go. I don't have any bones in my body right now. I'll wait here."

Peeta left the kitchen on a run, racing through the living room and taking the stairs two at a time to his room. The bed was still a tumbled mess from the night before, but thankfully an extra condom was still in its foil wrapper on the bedside table. He seized it and scrambled back downstairs where he found Katniss slipping off the countertop and reaching for her shirt.

"Oh no," he scolded, tossing the shirt out of reach. "That stays off." She protested but he simply drew her into his arms and dropped kisses on her shoulders before framing her face in his hands and drawing her mouth to his.

"This is my favourite fantasy," he reminded her when he finally released her lips. "You. In my kitchen. In our house."

Katniss gave him a look. "If I stay naked, then you need to get those pants off now." Peeta hastily pulled them off, and his erection sprang free, bobbing against his belly. His hands glided down Katniss back. Cupping her bottom in his hands, he lifted her from the floor. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he turned until she was perched on the edge of the counter.

"I need to be inside you."

Katniss nodded. "I'll allow it."

Peeta quickly rolled on the condom and soon he moving inside her. She was soft and wet. Her muscles wrapped around him tightly and it felt so damn good. He picked up speed and Katniss tilted her hips into just the right position, moaning as the shaft of his penis stimulated her clit. He followed the sound of her voice down a tunnel of mindless pleasure where only instinct and bliss remained. He felt his balls tighten and knew his release was imminent.

"I love you," he called out, and his world exploded as he spilled into the condom. When he was spent, he hoisted her safely onto the counter and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. Finally being free to love her openly, the way she deserved, was overwhelming. How had they gone all this time without finding a way to be together? Making love to her was an experience like no other. They were made for each other.

After a few minutes, Katniss spoke. "I'm never going to look at this countertop the same way again."

He chuckled. "Next time, I'll climb up there with you."

Katniss giggled. "Next time, I'll let you."

"And that's how I know you're the one for me, Katniss. That's never going to change."

He felt her smile against his neck. "I know. I love you too."


End file.
